A gas turbine engine includes a combustor in which fuel is discharged by a plurality of fuel injectors for combustion in a manner well known. Fuel injectors can be of the pressure-atomizing type, air blast type, and hybrid pressure-atomizing/air blast type. Regardless of the type of fuel injector, each fuel injector typically includes a nozzle tip that includes one or more fuel discharge orifices through which the fuel is introduced into the combustor.
The fuel nozzle assembly is usually brazed, welded, or otherwise mechanically attached to a support member, such as support strut. If the fuel nozzle includes dual fuel circuits (e.g. two separate fuel circuits such as primary fuel and secondary fuel circuits), leakage between the fuel circuits is generally not permitted. As a result, most fuel nozzles incorporate one or more braze or weld joints between nozzle tip components to separate the two fuel circuits. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,948 describes a pressure-atomizing fuel injector including a primary fuel circuit separated from a secondary fuel circuit by such joints.